Craps Bets & House Edge
A map of common craps wagers, odds bets, proposition bets and why the table contains very different mathematical prices.
Craps is not one bet. It is a menu of wagers with very different probabilities, payouts and house edges.
Pass Line
A Pass Line wager is resolved through the come-out roll and, when a point is established, subsequent rolls. Its house edge is relatively low compared with many proposition bets.
Don’t Pass
Don’t Pass reverses much of the Pass Line logic, with the 12 typically pushing on the come-out. Its mathematical cost is slightly lower than Pass Line under standard rules.
Odds bets
Once a point is established, many tables allow an additional odds wager that pays at true odds and therefore has no built-in house edge by itself. The combined cost still depends on the flat bet and how the metric is expressed.
Proposition bets
One-roll and hardway-style bets can carry much larger house edges. The table layout can make them look equally “normal,” but they are not equally priced.
Compare bets individually
Never describe craps with one universal house-edge number. The correct approach is bet by bet.
Denominator matters for odds comparisons
An odds wager can pay at true odds while the required line bet still carries an edge. A blended percentage changes depending on whether cost is divided by the line bet alone or by total money at risk. Always state the convention.
Fast proposition bets can magnify dollar exposure
A large house edge and rapid resolution can combine to create high expected cost per unit of time. Compare both percentage edge and expected total action rather than treating all table bets as interchangeable.
Reference data
The craps reference and line-plus-odds calculator keep the flat-bet/odds distinction visible and label the published blended benchmarks used by the site.